After months of rumours, Sony has confirmed via a blog post what everyone already suspected: PlayStation Now is gone and a new tiered structure is coming to PlayStation Plus.
The new strategy splits the previous subscription plan into three different tiers with their own offers and prices that are incorporated into the Plus brand. Starting in June, PlayStation users will have three subscription options to choose from: Essential, Extra, and the top tier, called Premium.
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There are still some points to be clarified, such as the exact launch date of the new services and which games will be included, as well as how future titles will be added to each level. This can be particularly confusing for casual gamers, and even more so for those who already subscribe to one or both of the existing services. To clear up any doubts you may have, here we share everything you need to know about the new Essential, Extra and Premium levels of PlayStation Plus.
What is PlayStation Plus Essential?
The first tier of the new subscription model is basically the regular PlayStation Plus subscription as it exists today. Includes two monthly downloadable games, additional store discounts, cloud storage, and online multiplayer. This tier will also cost the same, so if nothing new interests you and you just want to remain a standard Plus subscriber, you’ll be included in this new tier without any changes except the name. This is the pricing structure, in case you need an update.
- United States
- $9.99 per month / $24.99 per quarter / $59.99 per year
- Europe
- €8.99 euros per month / €24.99 euros per quarter / €59.99 euros per year
- United Kingdom
- £6.99 per month / £19.99 per quarter / £49.99 per year
- Japan
- ¥850 yen per month / ¥2,150 yen per quarter / ¥5,143 yen per year
What is PlayStation Plus Extra?
PlayStation Plus Extra is where features taken from PlayStation Now start to come into play. With this tier, you not only get everything from the PlayStation Plus Essential tier, but also a catalog of around 400 PS4 and PS5 games available for download. This will include both first-party titles and third-party games, likely starting with the catalog that already exists on Now and perhaps the PlayStation Plus collection. A full list has yet to be revealed; nor if the rate of games added monthly will continue, but Sony pointed out that Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11and returnal they will be there at the beginning.
As you might imagine, PlayStation Plus will cost a bit more than the Essential level. This is the pricing structure for the different regions.
- United States
- $14.99 per month / $39.99 per quarter / $99.99 per year
- Europe
- €13.99 euros per month / €39.99 euros per quarter / €99.99 euros per year
- United Kingdom
- £10.99 per month / £31.99 per quarter / £83.99 per year
- Japan
- ¥1,300 yen per month / ¥3,600 yen per quarter / ¥8,600 yen per year
What is PlayStation Plus Premium?
In the last (and most expensive) level we have PlayStation Plus Premium. This one is a bit more complicated than the rest, but in short it’s an expanded version of having PlayStation Plus and Now as they exist today. With this tier, you get everything from the lower two tiers plus around 340 more titles from the PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP libraries. You also get the ability to stream PS3 games, the option to stream or download PS1, PS2 and PSP games and an additional option to stream PS4 games in addition to just downloading them. They can all be streamed to your PS4 or PS5 or even your PC. However, streaming of any of these games is only available in regions where PlayStation Now is currently offered.
The next big plus is the availability of ‘limited time trials’ which will allow you to play part of a game before purchasing it. It has not been detailed which games will offer these tests, nor how long they will last.
This is the pricing structure for the different regions:
- United States
- $17.99 per month / $49.99 per quarter / $119.99 per year
- Europe
- €16.99 euros per month / €49.99 euros per quarter / €119.99 euros per year
- United Kingdom
- £13.49 per month / £39.99 per quarter / £99.99 per year
- Japan
- ¥1,550 yen per month / ¥4,300 yen per quarter / ¥10,250 yen per year
This tier only costs $20 more per year than Extra, and you’d pay the same annual price if you currently have a PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscription. If you already have a PS Now subscription, you’ll upgrade to Premium at launch at no additional cost.
The availability of this service will be made by region, starting in June with Asian markets, North America, Europe and then the rest of the world, with a full transition by mid-2022.
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